A boat full of would-be migrants to Europe has capsized off Gambian coast leaving at least seven people dead and scores still missing, the country’s defence ministry said in a statement.
The boat has embarked on an irregular journey from the North Bank Region’s village of Jinack when it overturned on midnight on Wednesday and was later found washed on a sandbank, according to the ministry.
Ambulances from the Gambia Navy were scrambled to the shore from where ninety-six would-be migrants were rescued. Seven bodies were recovered near the shipwreck, officials said.
The island of Jinack located on the north west of the River Gambia estuary has witnessed increased would-be migrant activities in recent months as Gambians and nationals from neighbouring West African countries make desperate bids to reach Europe through the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, routes which are often treacherous.
Thousands have died trying to realise a dream life in European countries which have increasingly tightened their immigration rules as a result of the unrelenting influx of irregular migrants.
The Gambia has been used as a springboard by West Africans for access to Spain’s Canary Islands. Many of them see mainland Europe as their ultimate destination.
A European Union deal with North African countries to stem the flow of irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa across the Mediterranean has led to the use of other alternative routes one of which is the Atlantic Ocean.
WN/as/APA